Place
Reimagining your place in UK innovation
What is ‘Place’?
Places are both an enabler and a driver for innovation. The Levelling Up White Paper makes clear the importance of place and place-based initiatives in delivering economic, environmental, and societal benefits across the UK and we are committed to connecting national and regional innovation to enable these benefits.
This means looking at innovation from a place-first rather than sector-first perspective, working between national policies and local priorities. On a practical level, it means we’re doing things in places, for the benefit of those places. From our Innovate Local event programme to our Net Zero Places Innovation Network, we are committed to delivering activities that make a difference to innovators across the UK.
What we do
Inspire
We inspire by showcasing innovation excellence from across the UK
Involve
We involve by convening and connecting places together to meet UK aspirations such as Net Zero and Levelling Up
Invest
We invest by informing government levers for place and support national decision making in areas like funding and procurement
Reimagine your place
FOCUS AREA
Strengthening UK capability in places
We support existing excellent local innovation strengths that are critical to overall UK capability, through investment support in strategic infrastructure, to building clusters of excellence.
FOCUS AREA
Connecting national to local
We need local and national business support across the UK, to work together with better signposting and awareness of national and specialist support. We strive to make it easier for businesses to find the best support, whether local or national.
FOCUS AREA
Driving local impact
We tailor our support to innovative business clusters to build capacity, stimulate greater connectivity between local businesses and the research base and deliver greater productivity and economic impact.
Launchpad programme
Innovate UK Launchpad is a programme aimed at supporting emerging clusters of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. Launched in 2020, it provides funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities to help SMEs grow and scale their businesses.
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Our Experts
Related Opportunities
Launchpad: bio-based manufacturing, Scotland – Round 2 MFA
Opens: 04/11/2024 Closes: 11/12/2024
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £5.25m to grow their innovation activities in the bio-based manufacturing cluster in Scotland.
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Launchpad: immersive & creative, Coventry & Warwickshire Round 2 MFA
Opens: 04/11/2024 Closes: 11/12/2024
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £4.35m for innovation activities in the immersive and creative industries cluster centred on Coventry and Warwickshire in the West Midlands.
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Launchpad: life and health sciences, Northern Ireland – Round 2 MFA
Opens: 04/11/2024 Closes: 11/12/2024
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £4.3m for innovation activities in the life and health sciences cluster in Northern Ireland.
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Launchpad: net zero industry, South West Wales – Rd 2 MFA
Opens: 04/11/2024 Closes: 11/12/2024
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million for projects that grow their innovation activities in the net zero industrial cluster in South West Wales. This funding is from Innovate UK.
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Launchpad: agri-tech and food technology, Mid & North Wales – MFA
Opens: 04/11/2024 Closes: 11/12/2024
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £1.5m for innovation projects in the agri-tech and food technology cluster in Mid and North Wales.
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National Centre for Accessible Transport: Scaling Innovation Programme 2025
Opens: 29/10/2024 Closes: 28/11/2024
Funding pioneering solutions that enhance transport accessibility for disabled people.
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Related Events and Recordings
Related News
05/09/2024
New local action plan launched to boost Tees Valley economy
Innovate UK has partnered with the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) on a new plan to boost business productivity and innovation in the Tees Valley region.
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26/06/2024
Innovate UK's Innovate Local North East
Innovate UK were joined by businesses and regional stakeholders for Innovate Local North-East, hosted and in partnership with AMP Proto in Gateshead and the TechNext24 Festival.
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Related programmes
Net Zero Places Innovation Network
Making net zero a reality in the UK by supporting local/regional authorities to achieve their net zero ambitions by connecting, collaborating, sharing experiences and adopting innovation.
Launchpads
Innovate UK’s Launchpad programme supports small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and innovative businesses, strengthening innovation in targeted clusters across the UK.
Innovate Local
Working alongside partners, businesses and stakeholders, Innovate UK hosts this series of events to help innovative businesses maximise their success.